uRbanDetail

Selected professional work

urban detail
Noah Resnick : Selected Professional Work
2006 - 20081
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urban detail
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t able of c ont en t s
Table of Contents
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personal biogr ap hy
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professional ph ilos op hy
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det roit
28
new york
36
bost on
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berlin
56
c hicago
noah resnick
uR ban Det ail
1351 joliet plac e
det roit mi 482 0 7
586.405.1712
noahresnic k@u r b an - d et ail.c om
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Biography :
Noah Resnick currently teaches and practices in the city of Detroit, Michigan. He is a principal of uRban Detail, along with cofounder and wife, Melissa Dittmer. It is a
small research based architecture and urban design studio that operates under the interrelated concepts of the architectonics of multiple scales; the architect as urban
collaborator; and the architect as community builder.
Noah grew up in Miami, Florida, where he attended the Design and Architecture Senior High magnet school (D.A.S.H.). He earned his BArch from the Illinois Institute of
Technology in Chicago, graduating at the top of his class, for which he was awarded the AIA Henry Adams Medal of Excellence. Noah completed his Masters of Science in
Architecture Studies (SMarchS) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the Architecture + Urbanism stream. This degree culminated in an urban design thesis that
focused on the potential for transit oriented development nodes in the city of Detroit. In addition to Detroit, Noah has lived and practiced in Chicago, Boston, and New
York, as well as Berlin, Germany where he worked in the studio of Daniel Libeskind.
His professional experience in architecture and urban design ranges from the conceptual and design development of a two hundred thousand sq ft mall/ spa complex in
Switzerland, to in depth urban design studies and proposals for very high profile Central Artery sites above the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Big Digâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; in Downtown Boston, to the full service design
and construction administration of a high-end townhouse building in New York City, to the landscape design of the City Hall Plaza and nearby park in Downtown Brockton,
Massachusetts. Most recently, Noah served as the project architect for the construction administration of the Affirmations Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Community
Center in Ferndale, Michigan.
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urban detail
Professional Philosophy
It is the architect’s role not merely to design buildings and spaces, but to create
wholistic environments, both physical and cultural, for humans to exist, inhabit, and
transgress. This must be accomplished at a multiplicity of scales, with a diverse set
of tools, and the proper balance between theory and practical knowledge.
Nowhere is the employment of these elements experienced more clearly than with
a successful architectural intervention in an urban context. Thus, it is through the
lens of urbanism that I approach my professional practice and research endeavors.
In practicing architecture, I intend not only to design buildings on an urban scale,
but also to construct the details of urbanism at the scale of the body. A professional
process focused on the conditions inherent in an urban fabric allows me to operate
under three central concepts: The architectonics of scale, the architect
as collaborator, and the architect as community builder.
The first of these three concepts serves to explore the relationships between
the micro and macro scales of an urban environment. My objective is
to find projects that utilize the building not merely as the product of a single client,
but as a design(ed) tool that mediates between these scalar poles. To do so, I must
foster a process with which to work simultaneously on the construction details
that engender interaction with the human body, and the urban plan that promotes
interaction with the community.
Louis Kahn stated: “A street wants to be a building”. I approach my practice under
the theory that the entire city wants to be a building. One that is designed and
constructed organically with an amalgam of architectural and landscape interventions,
as an emergent solution to a community’s needs. Through this viewpoint, I strive to
exploit the potential for a detail at the human scale to create a new
type of public space at the urban scale.
The second concept at the core of my practice is to accept architecture as a
predominantly collaborative endeavor. I appreciate that my design
efforts can only be manifested as architecture through an engagement with those
who will engineer, construct, finance, and use the building. And, just as the designer
must work in concert with these agents, so should the architectural intervention
engage with its surrounding urban condition and its cultural, historical, economic,
and philosophical context.
The third central concept integrates the first two in order to empower my work to
reach beyond the physical boundaries of building design. By identifying the role of
architecture in the urban fabric, I hope to fulfill the architect’s responsibility
to the community - both as a sustainable builder/craftsman, as well as an
intelligent and sensitive social problem solver.
Although I seek to understand and employ universal concepts of urbanism, it
is through the filter of a number of specific cities that I shape each design. My
architectural outcomes are directly influenced by the particular city in which I am
practicing, regardless of the project site location. Every design is infused with the
culture, history, frustrations and opportunities extent in the urban context that
surrounds me, and is compounded by the collective experience of the cities where
I have practiced in the past.
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P
H
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PHA
ASE
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S
E
Detroit, Michigan:
Grass-Roots Modernism
“Forget what you think you know about
this place. Detroit is the most relevant city
in the United States for the simple reason
that it is the most unequivocally modern
and therefore distinctive of our national
culture: in other words, a total success.”
Jerry Herron
The degree to which capitalism
was allowed to shape the urban
environment and define the culture
in such a direct manner is what made
Detroit the most successful modernist
city of the twentieth century. The
city’s single source of capital was the
ability to move individuals at a rapid
speed, independent from one another.
It defined the individual by placing
them in a modern conveyance, and
giving them the freedom to go in
their chosen direction, at their chosen
velocity, in solitude. This freedom came
at the expense of the city’s centrality of
cultural activity and social interaction.
The urban functions were spatially
reorganized year after year based on a
logic of horizontally increasing distance
and a network of paths leading out
of the city. Detroit’s success was its
ability to organize its pursuit of profit
into a spatial logic, one that justified
the product while simultaneously
creating its market, controlling its labor
force, and eliminating its competition.
Detroit’s success was in its singular
commitment
to
the
industrial
production of technologies that would
profoundly affect the culture and space
of every modern city. Detroit’s success
was its failure.
With these industrial giants rapidly
fading, it is up to enlightened and
empowered citizens and community
groups to retread the city.
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PEDESTRIAN CROSSING
PARK SPACE
PARK SPACE
LANDSCAPED PERFORMANCE VENUE
STAGE 1 (AUGUST 2008)
roosevelt park master plan
uRban Detail
w/ los pistaleros design group
COMMUNITY PARKING
(CURRENTLY IN DEVELOPMENT)
P2
PARKING / POSSIBLE COMMERCIAL
DEVELOPMENT PARCEL
LIGHT FIELD INSTALLATION
STAGE 3 (2009)
LANDSCAPED CROSSING ISLAND
STAGE 2 (SEPTEMBER 2008)
P
PHASE 2
IGAN
P1
MICH
PHASE 2
MICH
P2
E
U
AVEN
U
AVEN
IGAN
IGAN
IGAN
P1
MICH
MICH
E
UE
UE
AVEN
AVEN
the masterplan design is a phased
proposal which responds to the desires
of the community, the potential for
continued development along Michigan
Avenue, and the dramatic presence of
the historic Michigan Central Depot.
the initial phase will include an
amphitheater, a public work of art,
landscape improvements, and lighting.
The amphitheater will be formed from
a series of shifts in the ground plane,
utilizing the existing earth along with
excess earth from nearby community
projects that would otherwise end up
in a landfill. The stage will allow for
public performances, instantly breathe
new life into the space, and offer both
a physical and symbolic platform for
further fundraising efforts for the park.
When it is not in use, the grounds
leading up to the stage will provide
ample family-friendly green space for
exercise and relaxation.
P1
PHASE 1 PROGRAMMING
PHASE 2 PROGRAMMING
PRIMARY AXIS
PARK PARCELS ALONG THIS AXIS
EXISTING TRAFFIC
FLOW1
ARE THE FIRST TO BE DEVELOPED
IN PHASE
PARK SPACE
P1
TRAFFIC PATTERN
PARK PARCELS (FUTURE DEVELOPMENT)
PEDESTRIAN CROSSING
COMMUNITY PARKING
PROPOSED TRAFFIC FLOW
(CURRENTLY IN DEVELOPMENT)
TRAFFIC PATTERN
PHASE 1 COMPLETED
PARK SPACE
PEDESTRIAN CROSSING
PARK SPACE
PHASE 2
P1 COMMUNITY
PARK LANDSCAPING AND
ATHLETICPARKING
FIELDS
(CURRENTLY IN DEVELOPMENT)
P2
PARKING / POSSIBLE COMMERCIAL
DEVELOPMENT PARCEL
existing traffic Flow Diagram
proposed traffic Flow Diagram
Roosevelt Park has been fractured into four distinct pieces by Vernor Highway. This eight lane boulevard, which once
All streets cutting through Roosevelt Park will be closed off to vehicular traffic, creating a unified public green space, safe
from automotive traffic.
served to bring large amounts of traffic to and from the now abandonded Michigan Central Depot, is currently obsolete.
LANDSCAPED PERFORMANCE VENUE
STAGE 1 (AUGUST 2008)
roosevelt park
16
LIGHT FIELD INSTALLATION
STAGE 3 (2009)
LANDSCAPED CROSSING ISLAND
STAGE 2 (SEPTEMBER 2008)
P
PHASE 2
UE
UE
AVEN
AVEN
IGAN
IGAN
P1
MICH
MICH
PHASE 2
PHASE 1 PROGRAMMING
PHASE 2 PROGRAMMING
PRIMARY AXIS
PARK PARCELS ALONG THIS AXIS
ARE THE FIRST TO BE DEVELOPED IN PHASE 1
PARK SPACE
P1
PARK PARCELS (FUTURE DEVELOPMENT)
COMMUNITY PARKING
(CURRENTLY IN DEVELOPMENT)
PHASE 1 COMPLETED
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de t roit : u R b a n D e ta i l
PHASE 2
PARK LANDSCAPING AND ATHLETIC FIELDS
phase 1 programming Diagram
phase 2 programming Diagram
The first phase focuses on transforming the axial boulevard into a performance stage with strategically landscaped public
seating.
Athletic amenities, including basketball courts, soccer fields, and skateparks, will be placed in the western portion of the
Park. The eastern half of the proposed Roosevelt Park design will consist of serene natually landscaped spaces. The four
portions of the park are unified by the closing of Vernor Highway.
michigan central
depot
roosevelt park
old tiger stadium
mercury coffee bar
slows
bbq
mercury
coffee bar
proposed
community
roosevelt park
michigan central
depot
parking lot
slows bbq
I-96
I-75
michigan ave
et
et
tre
tre
hs
hs
16t
14t
to
downtown
detroit
be d
r
vern
o
r hw
y
lacom
e st
zell
dal
to mexicantown
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MASTER PLAN
LANDSCAPE ISLAND CROSSING
MICH
E
SOCCER FIELD
U
AVEN
BASKETBALL COURT
IGAN
SKATE PARK
LIGHT SCULPTURE
AMPHITHEATER
WALKING PATH
NATURAL LANDSCAPE
roosevelt park :
to see afresh ,
- blink -
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Canine To Five Site
martin luther king blvd
stimson
renovation and addition to a 5700 sqft
dog daycare, grooming and boarding
facility in midtown Detroit. The multiphased project consists of space
planning, HVAC assessment, interior
design, faรงade redesign, and 3000 sq
ft of new construction. The design
seeks to fold the exterior space of
the sidewalk into a vestibule/lobby
that separates the human users from
the canines. Tight budget constraints
necessitate both a creative approach to
material selection and detailing, as well
as fundraising through small business
grants.
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cass ave
canine to 5 doggie daycare
uRban Detail
o st
peterbor
To Downtown
st
EXISTING PROGRAM KEY
- Existing building is approximately 5700 sf
150’
50’
120’
- Existing exterior space is 1400 sf
LARGE DOG
50’
SMALL DOG
150’
50’
LOBBY/RECEPTION
OPTION 01 : PHASE 1
KENNEL
120’
180 sf
250 sf
50’
160 sf 55 sf
230 sf
3,080 sf
GROOMING
CIRCULATION/STORAGE
160sf 200sf
BATHROOM
460 sf
430 sf
APARTMENT
100’
120’
150’
OPTION 01 : PHASE 2
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Van Alen Institute 2007 Competition : Democracy of Disturbance
uRban Detail w/ tadd heidgerken
The re-envisioning of Gateway National Recreational Area as an urban public
Alternating tracts of appropriately programmed parkland are anchored to the
park is predicated on redefining the sites in terms of choices made by an
institutional nodes and assigned finite frequencies of time. A series of pathways
ever changing body politic, fully engaged in the
democratic process. Included in this body are stewards of the biological
connect park program while cutting representational sections through the current
body politic.
ecosystems, individual users as represented by publicly run constituent groups, and
the park service responsible for land allocation. All groups evolve according to the
This project approaches the evolutionary nature of community
interests of the community and the needs of the affected ecosystems. The inevitable
through an understanding of the
conflicts that arise between disparate programmatic desires are both integral to
than a planned architectural outcome. The strategy thus involves crafting a dynamic
the model of
agonistic democracy, and analogous to the phenomenon of
disturbance in nature, which inhibits diversity, adaptability and growth.
site that reacts to an educated and involved democratic body.
The multi-scalar design embraces this
establishing an
politics of disturbance by
open framework that modifies over time, anticipating a
disturbance in nature is to act as a catalyst, thereby
preventing stagnation from predictable environmental trajectories. In
addition, it promotes growth and adaptability of competing organisms. Disturbance
shifting definition of the publicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s needs and desires. The framework is structured on
is a balancing agent that prevents any unhindered effects of hegemony between
long-term institutional nodes located
according to inherent site logics which act as catalysts for related activities,
and a cyclical concept of programmatic phasing.
adversarial species, thus resulting in a diverse ecological landscape
park as a public process,
rather
The role of
six initial disturbances or
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de t roit : u R b a n D e ta i l
over multiple spatial and temporal scales.
Simultaneously,
disturbance manifests itself as conflict
within the ethico-political principles that form a democratic society. Conflicting
viewpoints form a
pluralism of values
that allow for the survival of
democratic discourse. An agonistic model of democracy nurtures dissent and its
supporting institutions in order to shape these adverse passions into democratic
designs.
The open
framework for Gateway National Park provides a theatre for
disparate needs within the urban and ecological community. It sets variable term
limits to ensure that the park always remain in phase with the
evolving nature
constantly
of the community. The pluralistic activities of the park,
as programmed by its users, will foster a rich and dynamic public landscape.
no a h resnick : ur ban det a il
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A
settlement
0218
public
complacency
un
m
dis
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ica
redefining
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ateway national par
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PHASING
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os
bw
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Historic FBF
water patterns
convert into
pedestrian
pathways
PATHWAYS
E
Drawing upon the historic natural and
industrial pathways, multiple modes of
transportation are re-connected to the site
on both regional and local scales.
HASE
P
prop
ASE
2
S
PHA
Tracts of
parkland
are assigned
varied
lengths
of time
A creative approach to phasing
creates a dynamic site. thus,
allowing the program to continually evolve
in tandem with the physical public space
and the â&#x20AC;&#x153;definedâ&#x20AC;? public.
1
E 3
E
P
HAS
H
Long term
institutional
nodes
serve as
catalysts for
related
activities
DISTURBANCES
Embedded multi-scalar site logics point
to initial disturbance locations.
Each disturbance connects through
the PATHWAYS system
ose
di
n tr
a-
pa
rk
fe
rr
The re-envisioning
of Gateway National Recreational
Area as an urban public park is predicated on
redefining the sites in terms of choices made by an
y
A
SE
2
ever changing body politic, fully engaged in the
PH
10 year
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de t roit : uR b an De ta i l
seasonal
democratic process. Included in this body are stewards of the
biological ecosystems, individual users as represented by publicly run
constituent groups, and the park service responsible for land allocation.
All groups evolve according to the interests of the community and the
needs of the affected ecosystems. The inevitable conflicts that arise between
disparate programmatic desires are both integral to the model of agonistic
democracy, and analogous to the phenomenon of disturbance in nature, which
inhibits diversity, adaptability and growth.
The multi-scalar design embraces this politics of disturbance by establishing an
open framework that modifies over time, anticipating a shifting definition of the
publicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s needs and desires. The framework is structured on six initial disturbances or
long-term institutional nodes located according to inherent site logics which act
as catalysts for related activities, and a cyclical concept of programmatic
phasing. Alternating tracts of appropriately programmed parkland are anchored
to the institutional nodes and assigned finite frequencies of time. A series of
pathways connect park program while cutting representational sections through
the current body politic.
1 year
This project approaches the evolutionary nature of community
through an understanding of the park as a public process,
rather than a planned architectural outcome. The strategy
thus involves crafting a dynamic site that reacts to an
educated and involved democratic body.
5 year
Democracy
1 year
3 year
of
Disturbance
N
CT
op
os
ed
CO N N E
0218
nature is to act as a catalyst, thereby
preventing stagnation from predictable
environmental trajectories. In addition, it promotes
growth and adaptability of competing organisms.
Disturbance is a balancing agent that prevents any unhindered
effects of hegemony between adversarial species, thus resulting
in a diverse ecological landscape over multiple spatial and
temporal scales.
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The role of disturbance in
UN I T I E S
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Simultaneously, disturbance manifests itself as conflict
within the ethico-political principles that form a democratic society.
Conflicting viewpoints form a pluralism of values that allow for
the survival of democratic discourse. An agonistic model of democracy
nurtures dissent and its supporting institutions in order to shape these
adverse passions into democratic designs.
te
ns
io
n
The open framework for Gateway National Park provides a
theatre for disparate needs within the urban and ecological
community. It sets variable term limits to ensure that the park
always remain in phase with the constantly evolving
s
nature of the community. The pluralistic activities of
tic
the park, as programmed by its users, will foster a
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Affirmations
lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community center
luckenbach | ziegelman pllc
design and construction administration of 17,000 sq ft center for the l.g.b.t.
community and their allies. The mixed-use facility includes a library, art gallery,
cyber-cafĂŠ, youth center, game room, offices, conference rooms, and counseling
center. The LEED certified building utilizes multiple atria to enhance both passive
heating and cooling systems as well as natural illumination from large skylights.
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o
Wo
contextual modernism:
modular housing in lafayette park, Detroit
luckenbach | ziegelman pllc
this project proposes the placement of 164 prefabricated
condominium units in a vacant lot adjacent to Mies van der
Rohe’s Lafayette Park in downtown Detroit. Dwelling units
range from 864 square feet to 1728 square feet and include
one bedroom, two bedroom, two bedroom with den, and three
bedroom two-story townhouses. it envisions the possibility of
expanding modular dwelling units vertically at some later date
or removing units if a home owner wants to relocate onto a
private lot.
Ave
ard
dw
The modules consist of a rigid steel vierendeel truss system
developed and patented in the 1960’s by Robert Ziegelman,
and have been successfully utilized as bank buildings, offices,
schools, and a hospital.
In addition to enabling the use of large glass areas that became
part of the shipping container and final site configuration, the
rigid steel frame expresses structural elements and proportions
compatible with the earlier Mies project.
The concept was not only about prefabrication and mass
produced housing but the continuance of the “Miesian”
philosophy of universal space expanded into universal building
blocks that can be adapted for any use. This includes future
sustainability insights for reusing modules on other sites,
stacking, expanding or changing use without destroying an
existing asset in an urban or suburban setting.
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New Detroit River Walk
Proposed Dequindre Cut
Bike Path
Downtown People Mover
Public Green Space
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ay
laf
26
ett
e
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n ew york cit y : murphy burnham & buttrick
New York City
Urban Anomaly
Rather than being considered the ultimate American city, New York stands out as
anomalous to the growing number of post-industrial urban centers throughout the
Midwest and South. One can almost imagine that the conditions plaguing these
metropolitan areas - decentralization, depopulation of the urban core, municipal
budget deficits, lack of public transit - are simply not manifested in New York.
While this city does not offer creative solutions to the stressed conditions it does
not seem to suffer from, it does provide a set of models that smaller scale urban
interventions can aspire to.
With the exception of a few large urban design projects occasionally dotted
throughout the boroughs, most of the fabric of the city is manipulated one facade,
or skyscraper, at a time. If an architect desires to contribute to the shaping of the
city, they must accept their role in the enormous collaborative effort that is New York.
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world youth alliance:
new york, new york
murphy burnham & buttrick
71st street
Project manager for the complete renovation of a four story townhouse in New
Yorkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Upper East Side to house the new global headquarters of the World Youth
Alliance. The 7500 sf building includes a library, gallery, lecture hall, offices, kitchen,
lounge, garden, and permanent housing for the staff and interns.
n ew york cit y : mu r p hy b u r n h a m & b u ttr ick
2nd avenue
3rd avenue
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n ew york cit y : mu r p hy b u r n h a m & b u ttr ick
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n ew york cit y : mu r p hy b u r n h a m & b u ttr ick
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b ost on : massachusetts institute of technolo g y
Boston, Massachusetts :
The practice of theory
In 1959, Kevin Lynch described the
perception Boston as being: â&#x20AC;&#x153;a city of
distinctive districts and of crooked,
confusing paths. It is a dirty city, of red
brick buildings, symbolized by the open
space of the Boston Common, the
State House with its gold dome, and the
view across the Charles River form the
Cambridge side...it is an old, historical
place, full of worn-out buildings, yet
containing some new structures among
the old.â&#x20AC;?
While the charm of the European
street flavor and historic structures
is still present in certain Boston
neighborhoods, the city has progressed
greatly with regards to its theory and
implementation of architecture and
urban design. From mega-projects
like the Big-Dig, to cultural moments
such as the Institute of Contemporary
Art, the Boston area is being gradually
reshaped with guidance from the
academic institutions at its center.
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b ost on : massachusetts institute of technolo g y
Sustaining Development in Detroit
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Master of Science in Architecture Thesis
This thesis tests strategies that confront
urban decay by accepting the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s state
of decentralization; viewing low density,
low cost of vacant real estate, and low
skilled workforce as being assets; and
mitigating auto dependency as necessary
steps to promote reinvestment and
repopulation. It begins by identifying
the factors that sustain development
and uses them to map out multiple
areas of urban activity. It suggests
large-scale citywide initiatives to
utilize and expand the existing transit
infrastructure to form a network of
non-centralized urban nodes and then
concentrates on one of these nodesâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;
using a proposed intermodal transit
station at the juncture of two potential
rail transit routesâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;as the nexus for an
urban design scheme that focuses on
the re-use of existing building stock
for sustainable programs, as well as the
use of vacant land for community urban
agriculture.
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urban, community
based agriculture
intensive streetfront
greening
recreational / pedestrian
oriented greenspace
reforestation for park space,
fruit production, or lumber
recreate existing
block density
define entire block
perimeter
infill north-south
perimeter edges
infill all vacant
perimeter edges
centralized
residential tower
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intermodal transit station
downtown
detroit
pedestrian
greenway
urban agricultural
space
music incubator
public athletic facility
visual and performing arts
high school
art and design incubator
intermodal transit hub
state of michigan
governmental offices
research and
technology park
henry ford health
systems
public
governmental
incubator
laboratory
residential
mixed use
existing mixed use
parking
health care
church
industrial
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civic space
housing and amenities – while preserving
the urban, industrial context of the
Strip.
Infrastructure improvements
combined with civic and recreational
facilities leverage the district’s unique
advantages of unfettered access to the
waterfront and immediate proximity to
the convention center, cultural district
and downtown. On a regional scale,
the Center Strip will be a model for
development along the Allegheny River
shelf, reclaiming the formerly industrial
zones and transforming the riverbanks
into a series of neighborhoods along
the shores of the Allegheny.
transit connections
As the Strip District in Pittsburgh
extends to meet the waterfront, the
master plan for the Center Strip builds
on the foundations of the existing fabric,
ensuring that future developments
maintain the District’s distinct spirit
and character without supplanting
the thriving community, businesses
and identity.
Our Center Strip
scheme promotes an environmentally,
economically and socially sustainable
approach to development, oriented
around transit and continually adaptable.
It provides for what is notably absent
from downtown Pittsburgh– residential
community network
Urban Land Institute
Gerald Hines Academic Urban
Design Competition
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Team
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Toronto Portlands
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Urban Design Proposal for the
reuse of the Toronto Portlands, 450
acres of industrial land situated on a
peninsula to the east of downtown.
The design proposes an extension of
Toronto through the formulation and
arrangement of distinct communities,
open spaces, and connections to the
city center. The goal is to create a
unique series of neighborhoods that
will provide amenities for the residents,
while
simultaneously
establishing
cultural and recreational destination
points.
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b ost on : massachusetts institute of technolo g y
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Berlin, Germany
City Rebuilt
“ Berlin...was a city undergoing
reconstruction (or construction twiceover). Now...many of the things that
were there (on top of what didn’t exist)
are no longer there. As if the city that
was and no longer is were rebuilt.
Berlin...is a city that doesn’t exist. It’s a
shadow, a sigh, a pointless endeavor, a city
that grows and un-grows, that rests and
surfaces, that looks towards the future
and at its own past.”
Jordi Bernardo, Ramon Prat Berlin Bis
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west side:
freizeit und einkaufszentrum:
bern, switzerland
studio daniel libeskind
180,000 sq meter multi-function leisure
/ shopping complex straddling the major
highway that leads to the center of Bern.
The wide ranging program included: the
central shopping mall, a leisure bath and
spa / fitness facility, cinema center, hotel,
garden market, builderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s market, senior
housing, and a parking garage. The larger
scale programmatic elements were
conceived of as static volumes linked by
a dynamic crystalline circulation spine.
This serpentine path carved out both
the surface of the boxes to allow for
natural light, as well as interior walls to
provide social gathering spaces.
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cinema center
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hotel
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b erlin : st u di o d a n i e l l i b e s k i n d
leisure bath
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chicago
Chicago, Illinois
High-Rise / Low-Rise
Arguably the most significant city
in the country with regards to the
development of a uniquely American
style of commercial architecture,
Chicago has also historically been on
the forefront of urban design. The
foundations of Daniel Burnhamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
1909 plan continue to shape the
growth of the city both formally and
organizationally. Chicago led the trend
for the return of the upper-middle class
to the urban core via the residential
gentrification of its industrial zones,
and continues to creatively rectify the
reprehensible treatment of its African
American population during the public
housing efforts of the 1950â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and 60â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s.
The city maintains its adoration and
innovation of the modern skyscraper,
while simultaneously embracing lowrise, environmentally
sustainable,
mixed income housing as a solution to
the failed housing projects that once
loomed over the racially segregated
neighborhoods.
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cohodes residence
dirk denison architects
7000 sq ft residence outside of san francisco for a family with a wheelchair bound
child. The concept centers on three primary accessible circulation paths ordered
around a procession of formal courtyards. The design process involved the
development of the architectonic forms and interior spaces almost entirely through
the construction of large scale working models.
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ch icago : dirk denison architects
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blue note records global headquarters
illinois institute of technology, undergraduate thesis
Revitalization of the former Chicago main post office building through the insertion
of the Blue Note Jazz facilities. In addition to the corporate office program, the
urban amenities include recording studios, a jazz museum, night club, performance
hall, hotel, retail spaces, and river access, all housed within the vacant 3 million sq ft
art deco structure.
professor: susan conger-austin
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drawing from travel
illinois institute of technology, semester abroad program
selected images from sketchbooks
professor: timothy brown
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